Wolfie
by That One Aussie Chick
Summary: Any (fertile) man can become a father, but it takes a special father to be a Dad.
1. Your Daughter

Silence.

For some reason, it bothered Lupa. She let out a quiet sigh and pressed her face against the passenger seat window, watching as the trees and houses and restaurants passed by.

"Lupa, he might not remember me, so don't get all offended if he seems confused," the albino driver said, breaking the silence. Lupa looked up at her mother.

"Didn't you give him a call?" she asked, shifting her weight from the car window to the arm rest in between them.

"Well, yes, your father did. I hope."

Lupa rolled her eyes.

"He isn't my _father_. I love him and all, and he loves me, but he didn't contribute to my creation," she grumbled, turning back to the window. Her mother sighed.

"Look, I know you don't want to do this, but, as your parents, we both have to go to this meeting thing. Remember, sweetie, what we're doing? It's all about you."

"But what if he doesn't want me to be his daughter?"

"Well, that's his problem, isn't it?"

Lupa groaned and leaned back to the window. The driver smiled.

"You'll be fine, Lupe. I was his girlfriend a long time ago. He'll remember my name," she said, attempting to brighten her daughter's mood.

It didn't work.

The rest of the ride was a silent as it's beginning. Occasionally, the two girls would share meaningful glances, but Lupa's were always annoyed or angry. Sometimes even scared. Well, more like concerned.

It seemed like they had been driving forever once they reached their destination. Lupa studied the apartment building in front of her, brown eyes wide. Her mother placed a hand on her shoulder.

"If you want I can come up there with you," she offered, but Lupa shook her head.

"No thank you," she replied softly. Clutching her bag tightly, she turned and smiled at her extremely pale mother, who, in return, smiled back.

"Be good for him," the albnioized woman said as she hugged her daughter.

"I will," the girl replied. They finally pulled apart, tears in both their eyes.

"I love you," they both said in unison, causing them both to giggle. Lupa smiled as her mother planted a soft kiss on her forehead before she returned back to her spot at the wheel.

"See you in a month!" she said as she drove off, waving to her (also waving) daughter.

A minute passed before Lupa turned, strutting into the open doors of the apartment building.

There were two choices once she was inside. The elevator or the stairs.

Pfft. Yeah right. Like Lupa was going to take the stairs.

She pressed the elevator button and waited until it reached the ground floor and hopped in, dragging her massive purple suitcase behind her. The elevator started to ascend, and Lupa sucked in a breath.

_Was this actually happening?_

Lupa knew that the man her mother had married was not her real father. Though she loved him just like he was, she knew. She'd always known. Her mother was an albino, meaning she was ghostly pale, with platinum blonde hair and cloudy blue eyes. Lupa's skin was a nice shade of olive, and her hair was dark brown, which was a shade or two darker than her big brown eyes. The two looked nothing alike, except for their facial features. And her father? He was a brunette, yes, but he also had blue eyes. And Lupa knew from science class that two blue eyed parents can't have a brown eyed daughter.

She also knew because her mother had told her when she was 6.

She'd been okay with it, of course. Her mother got pregnant at 19, which caused her to break up with her boyfriend out of fear.

Well, 19 or 20, Lupa didn't know. She never asked.

All she knew was that it was a one night stand while the two were in college, and it resulted in her.

What a great way to be brought into the world, huh?

The elevator stopped, and the doors opened. Lupa let the breath she'd been holding in and reluctantly stepped out of the machine just as it's doors closed.

There it was. The door to her father's apartment was right in front of her.

"Here we go," Lupa said, walking towards the door. She'd always been brave and a bit of a daredevil, willing to take up any challenge, but that was only because she'd been raised alongside a frisky German Shepherd, being trained and taught by her athletic, sporty step father.

Without even thinking twice, Lupa reached out her fist and knocked on the door. It took a while for the door to open, giving time for her to adjust her shirt and take a deep breath.

When the door finally did open, and Lupa saw her _real father_ standing in front of her, she suddenly felt braver.

The man looked both surprised and a bit puzzled, but opened the door wide enough for her to see all of him. Except for his right arm, which was most likely behind the door.

"Rajesh Koothrappali?" Lupa asked. The man nodded.

"Yes?" he replied, sounding confused, probably wondering why this girl knew his name. Lupa smiled.

"I'm Lupa DeJesus. I'm your daughter."


	2. Hair and Photos

The two stood there for a minute in silence. Lupa with a smile on her face, her hand outstretched to shake, and Raj looking more confused than humanly possible.

"Lupa?" he asked in a hushed voice. Lupa drew her hand back and toned her smile down.

"Yes...?" she replied in the same quiet tone. A smile started to grow on Raj's face.

"It's been so long since I last saw you."

Lupa cocked her head and narrowed her eyes.

"Since you last saw me?" she asked, crossing her arms. Raj shook his head and opened the door wider.

"Never mind that. Come in."

Lupa grabbed her bag and did as she was told, taking a few quick steps into the apartment. She looked around, studying the place.

"Welcome to the Raj Mahal," Raj said behind her. Lupa stifled a laugh.

"Very clever," she said, glancing back at Raj with a smirk.

"Oh, it's more than just _clever_," he said, teasing. Lupa almost laughed, but stopped herself at a wide smile.

"I'm sure it is," she said, for some reason, feeling strangely comfortable near Raj, even though she hadn't seen him in... supposedly a few years. "So, about the whole 'it's been so long since I last saw you' thing..."

Raj stopped in his tracks and turned his head to face Lupa. She responded with an innocent shrug.

"Um," was Raj's only reply. Lupa wet her lips and wheeled her suitcase more into the house.

"So how's your mother?"

Lupa didn't understand why Raj changed the subject so quickly, but she replied anyway.

"Still pale," Lupa replied. "But she's fine. How's, um... you?"

"Not bad. I recently had sex with my girlfriend," Raj said with a completely straight face. Lupa raised her eyebrows and nodded slowly. Was this the 'adorable charm' that he had used to date her mother?

"That's, um, great, I guess," Lupa replied, confused as how to make it seem like she wasn't slightly disturbed.

"It _is_ great. Now I finally have steady relationship with a hot chick," Raj said, smiling like he was proud. Lupa smiled and shook her head. He was, like, 33 after all. He should know what not to say to others.

Lupa looked back down at her suitcase. It was heavy, but not overpacked. Just enough stuff for a month outside of home.

"So," Raj started, sitting down on the couch. "Why is your name Lupa?"

This was a discussion she had had many, _many_ times.

"Well," Lupa sighed, leaning on the couch behind Raj. "As you probably remember, my mother is Italian, like, from Rome, and speaks fluent Latin, and her favorite animal is a wolf by far. She also has, like, a thing for dogs, but wolves to her are like gods. And the Latin word for wolf is Lupus. So, after my birth, my mom wanted to name me Lupus, but it sounded weird, so she made some modifications until she came up with Lupa, which I have a feeling came from the wolf goddess Lupe. But yeah."

Raj looked a little lost at the end. Lupa just shrugged and walked over to sit down on the couch, still a fair distance away. They both sat in silence until Raj turned the TV on, placing one arm on top of the couch cushions. Lupa glanced at it for a moment.

"What's up with your hair?" came Raj's slightly obnoxious voice. Well, obnoxious in a cute way, if that was even possible.

"The highlights or the coloring?" Lupa asked. She had done several things with her hair. The first was get it highlighted, which happened when she turned 13 a few months before. She had dyed the ends red with koolaid, and she had straightened it. The last bit was just for Raj.

"All of it."

"On my 13th birthday my mom took me to get my hair highlighted, I dyed the ends with koolaid, and I straightened it."

"Why?"

"Because I can."

"You know, your mother was never that sassy."

"I'm not her."

"I know. And I still don't understand why you don't look more, you know... Indian."

"Don't you remember? Mom's an albino. She's super pale with literally white hair and blue eyes. You have... a... dark color palette. Black hair, dark skin, dark eyes. Mix them together and boom - you get a slightly tanned brunette."

"Oh yeah."

Silence. Again. It was kind of freaking Lupa out.

"Wait here," Raj said softly, moving off the couch and disappearing down into his bedroom. Lupa waited patiently, twirling a chunk of hair on her index finger. She heard a crash and winced, slowly twisting her neck to look down the hallway.

"You alright?" she called. Raj emerged from the hallway, nodding.

"Alright. I want to show you some pics," he said, sitting back down, this time close to Lupa. He flicked through a few old looking photographs until he came to one.

The picture was dusty, but Rag didn't do anything to change that. He just handed Lupa the photo, and she blew the dust off, taking in the sight of the picture.

It was set in a slightly dim room at night. The curtains were open behind a younger Raj, who stood in the middle of the photograph, smiling widely at the camera, holding what seemed to be a baby girl in his arms.

"Who is this?" Lupa asked, nodding her head towards the baby. Raj smiled.

"That, Lupa, is you."


	3. The News

"Me?"

Lupa had intended to sound surprised, but instead, her voice came out more of a shocked squeak. She didn't really notice. She just stared at the photo, mouth slowly dropping open. What did Raj mean the baby was _her_? She had never met him before until earlier that day. At least, that's what her mother had told her all her life.

"Yes, you," Raj said, his vocal tone rather condescending, as if Lupa was stupid, which she most definitely was not.

"But, that's not possible," the girl protested, putting the photo down. "My mother said I had never met you before. She said you two split up."

"That's true, we did split up, but only because I didn't feel I was ready to take care of a child," Raj explained calmly. "Your mother thought the same thing, so we broke up, but, because you're my daughter, she sent me ultrasounds and updates and stuff. I was there at your birth, though."

Lupa took a while to let that soak in. Her hands crossed over her chest as she thought about what Raj had just said. Why was she never told about this?

"So..." Lupa started, trailing off as the thought. "So you _did_ know about me and my existence?"

Raj nodded as if he was confused. "Yes. Why wouldn't I? You _are_ my daughter."

Lupa rolled her eyes.

"No, I mean..."

Lupa trailed off, her eyes darting around as she thought.

"My mom always told me that you never, like, knew I existed. She said she broke up with you and never told you about me."

The two stared at each other for a second, both slightly confused.

"Well, she lied." Raj said simply, getting up off the couch and heading towards the fridge. "Also, do you drink beer?"

"What? I-yes." Lupa stuttered, rolling her eyes. Raj cocked his head and Lupa groaned. "I'm 13!"

"Yes, but have you ever lived in Europe or China?"

"What about Europe or China?"

"They allow any age to consume alcohol."

There was a beat as Lupa raised an eyebrow.

"Good for them," she said, voice pulled out in a monotone.

"But you didn't answer my question."

"Well that's too bad, isn't it?" Lupa retorted, grabbing a Coke from the spot where Raj wasn't blocking. She didn't intend to sound snarky, it just happened. It was something she constantly struggled with, like her short temper and ADHD. Well, not really ADHD, but she did have _serious_ concentration problems. And she was always hyper. And she could never keep her entire body still for longer than 37 seconds, exactly. And she talked super fast if she got excited. But still.

Lupa headed back to the couch, her sight focused on the Coca Cola logo on the Coke can. She slowly walked past the door.

_Bang._

A sharp pain ran through her head and she dropped the Coke can to place a hand to it, feeling a slight bump. She winced, her eyes shut tight as a jolt of pain bounced around her skull.

"Oh, Howie, you hit the little girl!"

Lupa opened her eyes. That person had a very high-pitched voice. Holy cow.

"I didn't know she was there!"

Lupa turned, slowly removing her hand from her head.

"I'm not that hard to miss," she said, her tone kind but strong. She shrugged at the two adults in front of her, keeping a straight face as if to say that she was cool.

"I'm sorry about Howard," the woman said. She was short and blonde with glasses and a high pitched voice that kind of threw Lupa off.

"It's fine. I didn't get a concussion, so..."

Lupa trailed off and glanced back at the Coke can on the floor. She pivoted and bent down to pick it up, hearing a rather loud whisper behind her.

"Who is she?"

"My daughter."

"What?"

"She's my biological daughter."

"But, how?"

"I'm not having this conversation with you."

Lupa didn't look but she knew who was talking. One of them was definitely Raj, and the other was probably that one dude Howard. A small, almost inaudible giggle passed Lupa's lips and she grabbed the can, standing up straight.

"Lupa, this is Howard Wolowitz and his wife Bernadette," Raj said, causing Lupa to turn. She smiled at Howard, now taking a few seconds to memorize his face. The first thought she had was something about his awful haircut. She had already taken a look at Bernadette but she smiled at her anyway. Lupa glanced at Raj for some sort of sign, but he was on his phone.

"Hi, I'm Lupa DeJesus," Lupa said, repeating her name the same way as before. Bernadette took time to smile at her, which Lupa appreciated.

"So, how are you Raj's daughter?" the bespectacled blonde asked kindly. Oh my God her voice. Lupa wasn't sure it was healthy for her ears, but she kept that to herself.

"Well, my mother was his girlfriend in, like, college, and the one night they did the whole, um, 'sexy time' thing, it resulted in me," Lupa explained, suddenly nervous. "And, uh, my mom is an albino, so that's why I don't have a darker color scheme to my appearance."

Bernadette nodded while Howard just looked like he had been asked to come up with a new color.

"Okay, wait, 'darker color scheme'? Aren't the darker colored genetics supposed to take over the lighter ones?" he asked, stepping forwards.

"Yes, but I said my mom is an albino, so she's super pale with white hair and pale blue eyes. I'm the result of a mix."

"Okay, but how d-"

"Lupa, turn on the TV," came Raj's interruption. Lupa did as she was told, grabbing the remote and smashing her finger into the power button. It immediately went to the news, where a horrible looking car crash was pictured. The big silver car was flipped over, smashed and on fire, while policemen and firemen and an ambulance crew stood around what looked to be a dead body. Lupa's eyes shifted towards the subtitle banner running across the screen, and the one that matched the picture made her want to vomit.

It said that the dead body was her mother.


	4. Comfort

_Adora DeJesus, 31, was found in a coma in the wreck of her VR-C after being run into by a truck._

Lupa sucked in a breath. Her mother was in a coma. That was pretty bad, but it _was_ a step up from just dead.

"Oh my God," she said, her voice tense. Her teeth were grit so hard it almost hurt. She slowly sunk her head into her hands and exhaled loudly. It was completely silent in the room except for the TV, which kept droning on and on about how tragic the accident was.

"The crash happened after David Hall lost control of his 16-wheeler truck, running right into Adora DeJesus and crushing her silver Honda VR-C," the reporter said. "DeJesus seems to be a coma and is being transported to the nearest hospital."

Lupa turned the TV off. She didn't want to hear any more. Slowly, she sank into the folds of the cushions. Her breathing was slow and heavy, which eventually led up to a sob. Lupa covered her face with her hands and curled herself up into a ball, crying hard. Raj, Bernadette and Howard just stood there, exchanging worried glances.

"Oh my God," Lupa sobbed. "I leave her for _five minutes_ and she's already in a coma."

"Bernie, go comfort her," Howard whispered, pushing his wife towards Lupa, then proceeding to pull Raj out of the apartment with him, closing the door, leaving the two girls in the room. Lupa was still hysterically weeping, tears forming puddles in the cloth covering the cushions under her.

"Uh, sweetie?" Bernadette said softly, placing on hand on the couch's back board. "Are you alright?"

"No," Lupa gasped out. She let out a strained, very odd sounding cry/howl noise.

"What's your name?" the blonde scientist asked as softly as she could.

"L-lupa," Raj's daughter replied. Bernadette sat down beside Lupa, as close as she felt was appropriate.

"Is it a friend who's in a coma?" she asked. Lupa removed her hands from her face and shook her head, wiping a few tears from her cheeks.

"It's my mother," she said, sniffing. "And it's all my fault she's in a coma."

"Don't say that," Bernadette replied. Lupa sobbed once again, though this time it was less loud.

"It is, though," she complained. "She was going to this meeting for me. It's all because of me that she was driving on that road. If it wasn't for me, we would be at home playing coma-less card games."

Lupa flicked her bangs out of her eyes, sniffing. She took a minute to take a few breaths before continuing.

"I should never have told her about my interest in my ancestry," Lupa sighed. "She was going to a month long class about genetics so she could teach me about my genetic background and NOW SHE IS IN A FREAKING COMA."

"I don't believe that," she said. "If she was willing to drive across the country to attend this class to help you out, you can't be anything bad to her. She loves you."

"Yes, but now she might die all because of her stupid daughter!" Lupa wailed.

"Oh, sweetie," Bernadette cooed, opening her arms as Lupa fell into them, crying into her hands again.

Lupa continued to shed her tears. She had no idea why she just allowed this stranger to hug her, but sadness had overtaken her sense of caution. Besides, right now she didn't even care. She just wanted comfort.

"She just loves you, is all," Howard's wife said soothingly. "She wanted to please you."

"She always pleases me," came Lupa's soft reply. "She's the best person I've ever met in my entire life. She's like the albino female Jesus."

There was a moment of silence as Lupa tried to calm herself down. She was almost _too_ upset to be calm at all, but she managed to slow her breathing down and wipe her face off.

"I just don't know what to do," Lupa sighed. "I mean, seriously. I turn around for a minute and she's already in some sort of medical emergency."

"Well," Bernadette started. "Maybe this happened for a reason. Maybe it's the start of a journey that can teach you a lesson."

"I just want her to be alright," Lupa whimpered into Bernadette's dress.

"So do I," Bernadette agreed. "But there's nothing we can do right now. We'll just have to wait."

Lupa thought about that for a second. She decided that this blonde woman was probably right, though what she had said about 'the start of a journey' was a bit too deep. Eh, whatever.

"You guys done yet?" Raj called from the slightly open door crack.

"Yeah, I guess," Lupa replied, wiping her face off again, sniffing loudly. Raj slowly came into the room.

"I'll get your bed ready," Raj said, scrambling into a different room. Howard stood awkwardly near the kitchen, shifting his position every few seconds. Lupa pulled away from Bernadette and grabbed her phone from her pocket, going outside the apartment. She speed-dialled her mom's husband and leaned against the wall.

"Lupa?" her non-biological father asked. "Did you hear about Mom?"

"Yes," she said. "I just wanted to know if you did."

"I did," Mr DeJesus replied. Lupa wiped her face again. It was still wet with tears.

"Lupa, you might need to stay a little longer at Raj's, depending on whether or not your mother gets better," he said. "I'm in Germany doing some work, and there's no one at the house for you if you want to come back early."

"I know," Lupa said stiffly. "I'll go tell him that."

"Alright, bye. I love you."

"Love you too."

And with that she hung up.


End file.
